The present disclosure is related to climate controlled medical products storage devices, such as refrigerators and freezers. More specifically, the present disclosure is related to a medical products storage device with a variable opacity viewing window, the variable opacity viewing window operable to become translucent when a user with proper authorization for view through the window is detected.
Medical products storage devices may be used in laboratories, pharmacies, or clinics where multiple individuals work. In some cases, some individuals are authorized to access all of the medical products. Some individuals, however, may only be permitted to access a limited portion of the inventory that is used and stored in the laboratory, pharmacy, or clinic. In the case of certain products, it is important to maintain the temperature of the products within very close control. Opening the door of the storage device to check for the presence of products increases the variation in the temperature of the storage device. It is known to cover the windows of these storage devices to prevent unauthorized individuals from seeing what is stored in the storage devices.
In addition, medical products stored in a medical products storage device may be sensitive to light. Medications, chemicals, or blood products each may experience degradation if excessive light is applied to the medical products. In some devices, this issue is resolved by having a solid door on the storage device. The challenge of a solid door is that it is necessary to open the door for an individual to see what is inside of the medical storage device, which, as discussed above, may create unnecessary deviations and temperature inside the medical storage device.